7 Benefits Of Using Public Transport

I know a lot of us have preconceived notions about public transport. For many of us, our personal vehicles are always the primary mode of transport but that need not be the case. Yes, there are some minor issues when traveling in public transport, but if you take a minute and analyse it practically, you’ll realize that it’s way more convenient than our own vehicles sometimes. Here are 7 benefits of using public transport:

7. Clearing the streets

No, I’m not being a philanthropist, it’s just the truth. How many times have you taken to the road, only to have dreaded the decision later on? It’s probably because the streets are more clogged than our drains. And it gets even worse when the Government starts building it’s metros or broadening the roads to try and fit the excess vehicles in, which leads to further congestion. If we took the initiative to travel by public transport, you could move almost 50-5000 times the number of people as you do in a personal vehicle, depending on the type of transport. It sure would be a relief…

6. Your Wallet will be Heavier

This is definitely one of the most powerful reasons people travel by public transport, because it’s dirt cheap. You can cover an entire city and come back in Rs.50 or you could take a monthly pass if you pass by the same route on a daily basis, which would come to around Rs.5 a day. With the cost of petrol and diesel these days, you could save in thousands per month, based on your travel time and distance. What hurts your wallet will eventually hurt you.

5. It’s Sometimes Faster

Some of you may laugh when you read this but it just so happens that public transport is faster these days. Maybe buses are delayed more often than not but imagine taking a metro and covering anywhere between 20-90 kilometres in a day during peak traffic. While a metro would still only take an hour and a half at max, a car or bike journey could easily jump a couple of hours during peak traffic. So now you’re saving time, which is the equivalent of money.

4. Good for the Environment

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Do you know how much fuel is being converted into pollutants on a daily basis? The numbers will shock you, yet we don’t seem to care so much. Millions of private vehicles are putting out fumes and harming the environment and people alike. Compared to that, public transport is a toddler. The carbon footprint of a bus is only 0.16%, which makes it extremely environment friendly. An electrically powered train is even more so. If only we could put our egos aside and try to make a difference.

3. Good for Your Health

Traveling in the smoke and noise, concentrating on the road, getting frustrated by the lack of courtesy or respect, the continuous braking and accelerating, gear shift, hand eye co-ordination and external factors combined makes driving one of the most dangerous things to do on the planet today. In fact, it’s become the most dangerous activity to perform today! There are even cases where people have died of cardiac arrests while driving or being stuck in a traffic jam, just from the stress of driving. Public transport is much more beneficial this way. It’s less of a hazard and gets you through traffic without all the unnecessary risks involved.

2. Contributing to the Economy as a Whole

As tax payers, we already feel the pinch of every rupee leaving our bank accounts. Taking public transport gives back to the economy whereas using fuel as a means of transport only contributes to private entities. Since the Government strives to promote public transport, improving the economy would improve tax laws in our favour, increase the GDP, promote employment and create jobs, generate more business for Indian Manufacturers, etc. The benefits are endless and you reap the benefits yourselves through lower tax rates and less unemployment. So it contributes to the economy as a whole.

1. Park your mind, not your vehicle

Traveling by public transport allows for a lot of ‘Me’ time, which is always good because in this hectic world, we get very little time to ourselves. Not to mention the unmentionable ‘parking space’ issues you might face if you don’t have the luxury of private parking wherever you go. I’m sure we’ve all faced this issue, where we circle the block several times, move onto parallel lanes, squeeze into the tiniest of spaces…so much just for convenience plus all the negative impacts it has on us. Isn’t it better and easier for your body and mind to use public transport? Even if just one person reads this article and has a change of heart, it would make a world of difference, trust me.